Alaska, Colorado, and Idaho newspapers endorse ranked choice voting
10/29/24 update: This article has been updated to include an endorsement from Idaho’s largest newspaper, the Idaho Statesman.
In recent days, major newspaper editorial boards in Alaska, Colorado, and Idaho endorsed open primaries and ranked choice voting (RCV). All three states have the reform on the ballot this November.
On October 19, the Anchorage Daily News editorial board encouraged readers to oppose Ballot Measure 2 – a measure that aims to roll back election reform in the Last Frontier. In 2020, Alaskans voted to adopt open primaries and RCV general elections for federal and state elections. The system debuted in 2022, receiving praise from voters, candidates, and academics alike. According to the editorial board:
For its own part, ranked choice voting has also been a success at providing an incentive for lawmakers to focus more on getting work done than throwing out red meat to their political base… The result is pragmatic representation that doesn’t swing too far in one direction or turn up its nose when political opponents show willingness to work on bipartisan solutions.
Colorado and Idaho will soon decide whether they want to follow Alaska’s lead by adopting open primaries and RCV. On October 19, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel endorsed Proposition 131 in Colorado:
The arguments for ranked choice voting are enticing. It allows voters to choose their most preferred candidate first without worrying about wasted votes or spoiler effects. Voters are incentivized to consider the attributes of more candidates because they’ll need to rank second and third choices.
The Sentinel also highlighted an endorsement for Prop 131 by Colorado Governor Jared Polis:
I think instant runoff voting is better than our current system because it gives voters more choices. I’m hopeful that if it passes it will encourage participation and improve our democracy. I will be voting YES ON Proposition 131.
– Gov. Jared Polis
Meanwhile, the Twin Falls Times-News endorsed RCV by urging Idahoans to vote “yes” on Proposition 1. According to the Times-News, Prop 1 is a solid investment and upgrade for Idaho’s elections. It would implement:
A fair and democratic system, where, in the elections that matter, all Idahoans who pay for them actually get to vote in them; and where the winners have the support of more than 50% of voters.
The editorial board of the Idaho Statesman, the state’s largest newspaper, also endorsed Measure 1. The board writes that:
Idaho can’t wait for change. Our current system leads to extremist candidates with extremist ideas and policies that lead to extreme laws… Ranked choice voting would relieve that pressure because moderate candidates would more likely secure the second-choice votes of a wider swath of voters, helping to secure a win in the general election.
These endorsements follow that of the Washington Post, whose editorial board recently endorsed RCV ballot measures across the nation – including in the Post’s home city of Washington, DC. All together, dozens of editorial boards across the county have expressed their support for RCV.
These endorsements show that RCV has made its way into the mainstream as a commonsense reform. RCV is already giving voters more choice and more voice in 50 U.S. jurisdictions, including in Alaska and Maine statewide. With a slew of RCV measures on ballots across the nation next month, the number of states using this simple but effective reform could triple. Click here to learn where RCV is on the ballot this fall!
